Author's Preface
Grimm's Fairy Tales Vol. 1. Tale number 26 - Red Riding Hood.
The story goes that there was once a little girl, loved by all. And above all, loved by her grandmother. When she was little, her grandmother had sewn her a little red hood for her precious granddaughter. From which she became known as Little Red Riding Hood.
One day, Little Red's grandmother grew ill before she packed up and left without a word. Leaving Little Red all alone.
Little Red decided that she would follow her grandmother and bring her some cake and wine to feel better. And so, the little girl hopped through the village woods until she came across a cabin.
She knocked. Once. Twice. Thrice.
An elderly woman's voice called out.
"Who is it?"
Little Red grew excited. She recognized that voice. Why it was her sweet old grandmother of course.
"Grandma it's me. I've come to bring you some cake and wine."
The grandmother, didn't want to let Little Red in, but she was oh so hungry. Her stomach growled and protested until she finally unlatched the door. All before the blossom of the full moon.
"Come in, sweet Red. Come in."
Little Red pranced in, carrying her basket. She sat by the bed and opened up the treats.
"A little red wine for my grandmother and a cake for her sweet tooth."
Suddenly, Little Red felt nervous. Which was odd, because she was always relieved around her grandmother.
"Grandma, what big ears you have!"
"The better to hear you dear Red."
"But grandma, what big eyes you have!"
"Better to see you my dear Red."
"Grandma!"
Little red stopped, her mouth open agape as she continued:
"What a terrible big mouth you have!"
The grandmother suddenly grew twice her size as her stomach growled from hunger. Her skin stretching as muscle fibers began expanding thrice their size.
And her jaws.
Little Red watched as her sweet grandmother's jaws split into three.
But there was nothing Little Red could do. For she came to help out her sweet old grandmother. An so, Little Red spoke.
"My sweet dear grandmother. Eat me and grow better."
And so the grandmother did. She bit and chomped and chewed and tore. Until all there was left was a little red hood.
Come morning the grandmother sobbed and sobbed. What had she done. She'd eaten her Little Red Riding Hood.
Naren took a step back as the princess took a step closer. Her pitch black eyes giving no reflection for Naren to peer into.
Of course he'd known what a werewolf was. It was written in the first volume of Grimm's Fairy Tales. Maren loved reading it to him. But to think that there was one here? He felt strangely excited by the thought of seeing one.
As the thoughts crossed his mind, his eyes glazed over Cairo's body once more. Bringing about a tumultuous feeling of dread and misplaced sorrow.
So a Werewolf did this...Wait.
"Virus?"
Naren steadied his breathing as he asked.
The princess had a sudden look of annoyance which she quickly covered up.
"Yes...Werewolves are the results of a neural virus. The poor victim will begin craving meet at first. Then they'll move onto raw cattle. Until eventually, they lose what trace of humanity they have at the peak of a full moon."
Naren's eyes glowed as he listened to the princess' explanation. It was all so new and exciting to him.
"Ooh. I get it...Then in Little Red Riding Hood."
"That's right. The grandmother was a werewolf...No wonder she up and left her granddaughter."
As they spoke, Nico lurked up between them. Pulling on the princess' red cloak.
"Uhm...C-can you help me find the-the werewolf."
The princess crouched down. Her expression softening in the process as she pat the little boy's hair.
"Of course. Me and this guy will help you."
Yeah. Sure. They'll figure out who the werewolf is. Of course it wasn't because the princess told him to. Nothing of the sorts. Just the thought of a good mystery had Naren's heart beating.
Besides there was nothing else for him to do. Well except figure out what Cend— That name means.
The princess stood up once more, pointing at the two bodies behind them.
"There were seven, now there's five left."
Naren tilted his head.
"Five what?"
"Five suspects."
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Vera stumbled through a dark alleyway, holding in the throwup in her mouth before she couldn't any longer. Hunching over and letting out her insides.
Her clothes had smears of blood all over them as she staggered against the wall. Her eyes wavering.
'What was that! What did I see!'
Something disgusting. A beast shrouded in darkness. She couldn't help but throw up again just imagining the sight it had left. The mangled bodies of Theron and Cairo.
She winced once more.
Cairo. He was...He was really dead.
Tears began swelling up in Vera's eyes as she tried her best to hold them back. Scrunching her face she curled her hands up before slamming her own thighs.
Vera began stepping through the trash riddled corriders against her trembling and feared heart.
"I-I must find Naren. We must escape together."
———————————————
In another narrow corrider an accentric man had tried his best to cover up his severed arm with what dirty cloth he could find from cloth lines.
By now Dian had done all he could. Slinking down against a wall as his breathing continued in it's haggard trend.
He slowly closed his eyes as he mumbled.
"Ashwin dear...You have to tell us about something like this...Will it continue being like this?...Everytime?"
———————————————
In an alleyway, standing before two mutilated bodies, Naren couldn't help but wonder what he had truly gotten himself into. He scoffed as he opened his mouth, pointing out the princess' obvious mistake.
"Dunno if you know. But there's a lotta other people here...I'm sure there's probably closer to a hundred suspects."
The princess shook her head. Pointing one finger at herself, two at Naren, three at Nico, until five stood up.
"Counting me, you, and the boy. There are five in total."
Naren flinched back, pointing at himself.
"Me?!"
She sighed.
"Yes you. The werewolf virus — Lyssavirus lycanthrope — is usually only able to infect humans. And of that, only five are alive here at most."